Information and Views through the Global South

Information and Views through the Global South

SINGAPORE, Nov 17 1998 (IPS) – Commerce-savvy Singapore is certainly not someone to miss out the chance of cashing in on company on the net. The island state is busily trying to position itself as the Internet business hub of the East with the so-called “E-commerce” predicted to increase five-fold this year and reach some 34 billion dollars. Singaporeans by themselves are already on the list of scores of customers associated with shopping that is virtual. If the reaction to a regional play right here is any indicator, a number of Singaporeans are maybe perhaps maybe not going to disregard the downside of cyber shopping.

Certainly, once the play ‘Mail Order Brides and Other Oriental Takeaways’ points out, “the Web” have not just offered such product as books, music cds and various foodstuffs you can find brides for hopeless grooms aswell.

‘Mail Order’, written and directed by a cable television newsreader Pek Siok Lian, ended up being expected to have only a two-week season. But which was extended by per week till Oct 29 because of popular need. Presently there are intends to re-stage it for the next week at the beginning of December.

During an unique performance during the ny Overseas Fringe Festival in August, the play additionally received high praise from experts. The ‘New York Times’ has since included ‘Mail Order’ in its Fringe Selection list.

“The event workplace told us that ‘Mail Order Brides’ had been one of several shows that are best-attended the Festival ukrainian bride divorce rate. We had standing ovations by the end of virtually all shows,” boasts producer and director that is artistic Uekrongtham.

‘Mail Order’ arrived on the scene of Ekachai’s and Pek’s want to compose one thing about “the apparently impossible relationship” involving the bargirls of Bangkok’s Patpong red-light region and their Caucasian customers.

“We soon realised that the Patpong woman is certainly not alone”, recalls Ekachai. “All over Asia, 1000s of Asian ladies fancy the dream that is same of taken far from poverty or tradition-bound lifestyles by men from more developed nations.”

As an element of their research, a Web was done by them search, utilising the expression “mail order brides.” The time and effort with one s.e. yielded nine entries with links to a lot more than 100 internet web sites and another inundated them with over 160,00 matches that are possible.

“What is noteworthy is that these lenders hawking human being commodities are Western clothes providing up to a clientele that is western and their items are touted as exotics through the developing globe, particularly mostly appealing yet submissive young Asian ladies” claims Pek, that is additionally the play’s manager.

She asks,”Is this just one more kind of Western hegemony or perhaps is it simply flesh trade?”

In line with the play’s programme, the sheer number of “mail order marriages” between Asian females and men that are western 1986 had been projected to attain at the very least 2,000. By 1994, such marriages involving females through the Philippines and Western guys had reached 19,000.

Interestingly sufficient, most the brides-to-be that is hopeful their cyberspace postings from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are Filipino ladies being employed as domestic helpers in these nations.

But there is however additionally a growing trend of singaporean males looking for mail-order brides from China. While only eight mainland Chinese females became the brides of Singaporean males in 1986, at the very least 1,000 such marriages happened year that is last.

A Chinese mail-order bride is one of the play’s four characters, because are a Filipino domestic helper, a Thai sex worker and a Singaporean “sarong party girl” – a lady whom operates after Western expatriates.

The intercourse worker, the maid as well as the Chinese bride ‘wanna-bees’ make postings on a webpage, hoping international males will rescue them from their unsatisfying everyday lives.

The sarong celebration woman comes upon the web site while browsing the internet, is incensed, and gets sucked in to the site’s talk space. The play’s very first half is a number of quick monologues where each girl attempts to justify her actions.

The maid, the Chinese bride and the sex worker have all undergone terrible experiences, and are lamenting their decision to go online by the second half.

The Filipino helper that is domestic left her work in Singapore to marry a U.S. soldier happens to be raped by their buddy; the Chinese mail-order bride is with in jail for stabbing her Singaporean husband whom attempted to rape her and also the intercourse worker has contracted AIDS.

Whenever ‘Mail Order’ was initially staged a year ago, the ‘Straits Times’ reviewer Clarissa Oon criticised it being an “unimaginative one-hour- plus rehash of the many worst stereotypes of Asian females, Singaporean men and their Caucasian counterparts”.

The play has since been restructured, also it had been this variation which was opted for because the very very very first entry that is asian this new York event. But Oon stays critical of ‘Mail Order’ and says it nevertheless does not have a genuine discussion on which it indicates become A asian girl today.

Literature graduate Emma Yong, whom plays the part for the Filipino maid claims though: “I am relocated by my character’s courage. She risks every thing by marketing herself to not known strangers on the net – within the hope that is slim she’ll be rescued from the life of poverty and servitude.”

Lawyer Deborah Ng, whom plays the Chinese bride, additionally states of her character: “She’s A china doll by having a might of metal whom embarks on a journey to help make a better future for herself by to locate a spouse.”

Pek by herself is unperturbed by remarks that the play presents stereotypes, retorting, “We are seeing these things occurring at our very own doorstep.”

Dr Phyllis Chew, mind for the Singaporean women’s association AWARE, is extremely supportive of this play. “It is an obvious feminist statement associated with discrimination and exploitation faced by an incredible number of Asian ladies while they battle to better their lot,” she says. “Any play that highlights the plight of women, whether or not they are underpaid, overworked, abused or raped must be motivated.”

Pek in reality is stoked up about the notion of presenting ‘Mail Order’ to wider audiences within the western due to the fact guys who fuel the industry together with Web organizations that work as the agents have a tendency to there be from. Her partner Ekachai adds they are now taking a look at the likelihood of developing a production that is new of play in the us.

“If all goes well, we desire to jointly create it with a proven theatre business here while having it tour around America when you look at the not too distant future” states Ekachai. They might additionally bring the play to Britain and Canada year that is next.

In terms of Oon’s reservations about ‘Mail Order’, the dilemma faced by numerous Asian girls looking for Caucasian husbands is apparently summed up nicely by Beatrice Chia, whom plays the Singaporean party woman.

Toward the final end for the play, her character says: “Maybe I’m the Occidental Oriental. No, the accidental Oriental. The banana that is original. Yellow on the exterior, white from the inside!”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *